1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispenser for at least one applicator. The invention is particularly advantageous for a cosmetic product applicator intended for single use.
2. Discussion of Background
In the field of cosmetics, it is common to give customers an opportunity to test products in order to enable them to choose the product they are going to buy. To this end, it is known to package products in the form of a single dose which the customer can use at home before making his/her purchase.
Alternatively, the products can be made available to the customer at a point of sale with a community container available for use. However, with this approach, the customer is required to take up and apply the product with the fingers in order to test it before making the purchase. Such an approach is not very hygienic given that a large number of customers may use the same product.
For this reason, it is useful to provide single-use product applicators, which can be made available to customers at the point of sale of the products to enable them to sample and apply the product before disposing of the applicator.
Applicators intended for single use are generally of small size such that it is commonplace to provide them with means enabling them to be grasped. Certain applicators of the single use type are for example T-shaped, i.e. they include an applicator portion delineating an application surface and a handle portion formed perpendicular to the application surface. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,053,242; 4,101,053; and 4,014,616 describe examples of such applicators.
In certain cases, the handle can additionally contain a measured quantity of product to be applied, as is the case with the applicator described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,264, which additionally serves to protect the quantity of product to be applied and provides a disposable two-in-one device.
However, applicators intended for single use are rarely protected against the external environment so that their application surface is liable to be soiled. This is more particularly true in the case of T-shaped applicators which can be difficult to accommodate in a conventional holder or case.
In addition, when such applicators are made available to customers at a point of sale, it can be desirable to facilitate the dispensing thereof. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,014,616; 4,053,242; and 4,101,053 describe examples of dispensers which facilitate both the protection and dispensing of the applicators.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,616 describes a device in the form of a cylindrical housing incorporating an opening at its upper end which can be closed by a cover. The applicators are relatively rigid and are superimposed inside the housing so as to form a stack. The handle of the applicators is hollow so as to receive the handle of the following applicator so as to reduce the dimensions of the stack. The applicators have their handle oriented towards the opening in the housing so that when the cover is removed, the user can take hold of the handle in order to pick up an applicator. A spring is additionally provided in the bottom of the housing to push the stack towards the opening as the applicators are taken out, and the applicator closest to the opening is held in the housing by means of a lip delineating the opening against which the periphery of the applicator is in bearing contact. The drawback of this system is that the spring wears over time so that the last applicators have difficulty in rising as far as the opening. In a variant, the opening can be located at the bottom of the housing and the stack of applicators can descend by gravity as the applicators are removed. Such a system requires the use of applicators with hollow handles that can only be used as a grasping element. The applicators can also include the product to be applied which is either directly impregnated into the applicator portion, or covers the applicator portion so that the product is not protected inside the dispenser. The quantity of product is also limited by the size of the applicator portion.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,053,242 and 4,101,053 also describe a T-shaped single-use applicator dispenser including a cylindrical housing having a lateral opening provided to allow the removal of applicators in proximity to the bottom of the housing. The applicators are stacked flat in the housing, i.e. the applicator portion is folded in two so as to be located in the same plane as the handle thereby limiting the dimensions of the stack of applicators. This additionally serves to protect the application surface which is folded back on itself. Here again, the applicator portion can be impregnated with the product to be applied or can be covered by a layer of product. A spring is provided in the upper part of the housing to push the stack of applicators towards the bottom of the housing so that an applicator is always against the lateral opening. A pushbutton is additionally provided at the bottom of the housing, opposite the opening, to push the applicator located at the bottom of the housing through the opening so that the applicator handle can be grasped by the user. Such a dispenser has a relatively complicated structure. Moreover, the pressure exerted by the spring on the applicators is liable to damage the applicator portion as well as the handle. In addition, as the applicator portion remains folded in two inside the dispenser, it can deteriorate in this position and may have difficulty unfolding completely when the applicator is removed from the dispenser.